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Article for publication
March 5th, 2010
CORRUPTION By Col. Riaz Jafri (Retd)
The cancer of corruption is spreading world wide, some spots with thicker growth while others in the growing tumorous stage, but prevalent never-the-less all over. Unfortunately, Pakistan falls in the thick growth area and rated as one of the most corrupt countries, way up in the ladder of the world corruption order. What is still more alarming is that it has been there for quite some time now and likely to stay near the top for some quite seeable future unless measures are taken to wrest the spread. Corruption hurts economies, people, and governments. Corruption is unethical, immoral, and illegal in all societies, religions, and countries. It needs to be rooted out. Private organizations, United Nations, and some governments have attempted to stop corruption or at least prevent it but have failed.
Corruption is primarily of two types, Need Based Corruption (NBC) and the Greed Based Corruption (GBC). Both are found in the public as well as private sectors. NBC takes its birth in the lower echelons of the bureaucracy who are not paid enough to make their both ends meet and on the top of it also not provided with the subsidized amenities and facilities by the government. Imagine the plight of one such functionary whose child is seriously ill and he has no money even to buy him the medicine! He would do anything to save the life of his child, let alone corruption. I am not trying to justify the NBC, but it needs to be seriously looked into. In my opinion instead of eliminating the need-based- corruption with an iron hand more thought and effort are required to eliminate the causes giving rise to it. Small scale corruption has another dimension also in the developing countr ies where a lot needs to be achieved in comparatively a shorter time. In the early 1960s late Mr. M. Latif Qureshi, the first DG of PIDE (Pakistan institute of Development Economics, Islamabad) in reply to my question as to when would we get rid of corruption in Pakistan, had counter questioned me if I tipped the waiters in a restaurant? And then he himself proceeded to answer the question and said, “You tip the waiter To Insure Promptness (TIP) in the service you get next time you visit the place”. He continued, “So is the case in the developing countries. Time is at premium and a lot of work is to be done. To do it promptly someone might have to work over-time. The concerned clerk or the Section Officer could take your file home, do some extra work on it and get your job done quickly saving you in time and money. So you pay him a tip for it”. Somewhat shocked I asked him if he was advocating corruption? “No – no, corruptio n would be if the govt. functionary resorted to extortion, a! rm twist ing, sat on your file or refused to process it unlike you paid what he demanded. That would be the corruption. Here you pay ‘willingly’ for the prompt service that you got from him”, he clarified. Alas, what late Mr. Qureshi didn’t realize then was that the TIP shall transform into the present day curse where nothing would move in the offices until the palm was greased and the money passed under the table. Incidentally, Mr. Qureshi was the author of the first 5 year plan of Pakistan, copy of which was presented to the visiting Korean delegation by President Ayub Khan. Koreans implemented it as it was. Ironically that was the plan which laid the very foundations of the modern Korea’s miraculous economic success!!
The greed-based-corruption is more dangerous and detrimental to the progress of the country and needs to be eradicated from the society. However, it has become a sort of accepted norm in the culture of our elites – politicians, bureaucracy including judiciary, business tycoons and corporate magnates, bankers and lawyers, defence procurement officials both Civil & Military etc. An effective investigation of offenders leading to penalties and prosecution is almost impossible and if there is one it is more of an exception than a rule. Agencies such as the FIA, NAB and police have launched a number of high-profile investigations in recent years, and the higher organs of the judiciary (the Supreme Court as well as the provincial High Courts) regularly issue rulings and directives designed to curb corruption in the public domain , yet the problem is so pervasive and all encompassing that a general climate of impunity seems to prevail. Investigations tend to be costly, laborious and lengthy, with no guarantee of success in many cases. The past master perpetrators are so clever that they hardly leave a trail behind to track them down. Invariably, the court finds itself helpless either out of connivance or at the hands of smart lawyers or both. Who ever heard of appointing the judges of one’s choice at the higher judiciary, other than on merit and seniority? Does someone expect favours from so appointed judges? A judge is a judge and will do only justice irrespective of who appoints him. Judiciary as such has the key role to play in eliminating the curse of the GBC. Alongwith judiciary the civil society has also to rise to the occasion. In that it should disdainfully and contemptuously ostracize the filthy corrupt and boycott them socially altogether. Let the corrupt stew all alone , without any friends, callers-on or sympathizers, in his ow! n soup o f corruption for ever to the extent that none attends even his funeral. Only such a harsh treatment will drench out the last drop of avarice from the blood of these loathsome greed-based-corrupt people.
Regarding the overall corruption in the country – the minor and the major, it would be wrong to assume that the corruption is due only to the attitude of civil servants or those in public administration and law enforcement. It is the insatiate greed in almost every segment of the society which causes corruption. From the ordinary vendor and trader to the largest mills owner indulges in adulteration, under-weighing, counterfeiting, over-charging and tax evasion. Manufacture of fake medicines and different hi-brands of products is quite common. Ever noticed the ice cream cup with its false bottom? The bottom is raised inwardly to hold only about 3/4th of the ice cream in its otherwise full looking cup!! What a shame how the innocent children are cheated of their ice cream? Hoarding, black marketeering, and profiteering are rampant. The petrol pumps’ and taxis’ meters are rigged. Ticketless traveling has gone beyond its customary realm of rail and road travel to the higher spheres of international air travel. Conductors of public transport and toll collectors do not issue ticket to the commuters and thus cheat their owners. Even the education and the sacred educational institutions - schools and universities - and the sacrosanct madrassas and pulpit are no more corruption free.
People seem to have lost the sense of virtue, of right and wrong. Believe it or not, a ruling minister of state in a live telecast TV show was seen and heard lamenting, “Why, don’t we have a right to be corrupt?”!! He went on say that only a fool would not indulge in corruption under the prevalent circumstances.
The prevalent circumstances would have to be changed. If necessary:
“To grasp this sorry scheme of thing entire
Shatter it to bits and remould nearer heart desire”
Khyam
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Col. Riaz Jafri (Retd)
30, Westridge01
Rawalpindi 46000
PAKISTAN
Tel: (051) 546 3344
Cell: 0300 8546 334
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